Dunlop Motorsport’s racing debut in the “Green Hell” will have to wait: A surprise onset of winter weather ahead of the season opener of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Endurance Series, the 71st ADAC Westfalenfahrt, made it impossible to hold the scheduled four-hour race on the Nordschleife. Julien Andlauer and Nico Menzel, who were set to share the black-and-yellow Dunlop Porsche at the season opener, were unable to take the starting grid on Saturday.

The hopes of the teams and fans remained high until the very end: Although the snow that had fallen overnight melted away during the morning, temperatures in the Eifel region had only climbed to just above freezing by noon, and no significant rise in temperature was expected for the rest of the day. Given the low temperatures, which made a safe race impossible, the organizers decided to cancel the race.

“The cancellation is of course a shame, especially for our fans who were looking forward to the season opener at the Nürburgring and came to the track despite the weather,” says Nico Menzel, a native of the Eifel region who knows the Nürburgring’s capricious weather all too well. “After the winter break, we were all full of anticipation to finally drive on the Nordschleife again - and above all to showcase our new Dunlop Porsche in race action. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a little longer for that.”

 “Racing under these conditions would simply have been too dangerous,” adds teammate Julien Andlauer. “At such low temperatures, the racing tires cannot warm up sufficiently to reach their ideal operating window. This is not only a major risk in terms of safety, but also hardly helpful for the development of our Dunlop tires. As unfortunate as it is for the spectators on site, the decision is entirely appropriate and understandable in the interest of all drivers’ health.”

The good news for all motorsport fans: They won’t have to wait long for the debut of the new Dunlop Porsche. The second round of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Endurance Series is already scheduled for this coming weekend (March 21, 2026) - and the preliminary weather forecast gives hope that the starting lights will turn green right on time at 12 noon.